SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — San Diego men's basketball alum Isaiah Pineiro is headed to the 2024 Olympics after helping the Puerto Rico Men's Basketball National Team win the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament at Coliseo de Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico ended a 20-year Olympic drought on July 7 by defeating Lithuania 79-68 before a home crowd of 13,504 in the event's Final to punch its ticket to Paris. Puerto Rico topped Bahrain and Italy in Group B of its Qualifying Tournament before eliminating Mexico in the Semi-Finals enroute to securing the berth to the Olympics.

Pineiro, who starred for the Toreros for two seasons from 2017 to 2019, added four points, three rebounds, and an assist across 21:16 in Puerto Rico's Olympic-clinching win while posting a +17 plus/minus and going a perfect 2-for-2 from the line.

He was a two-time All-West Coast Conference First Team selection while at USD, leading San Diego to an NIT appearance (2018-19) and back back-to-back 20-win seasons (2017-18 and 2018-19) for the first time in program history. Pineiro finished his Torero career ranked third in all-time career scoring average (17.3 PPG) and fifth in all-time career rebounding average (7.9 PPG). His 677 total points in 2018-19 remain the most by any Torero in a single season. In 2019, he graduated from USD with a degree in Communication Studies.

Pineiro will become the second San Diego men's basketball alum to participate in the Olympics, joining the late USD Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Mike Whitmarsh, who starred for the Toreros from 1982 to 1984 and won a silver medal playing beach volleyball in the 1996 Atlanta games.

In the Olympics, Puerto Rico will slot into Group C alongside defending Olympic champions USA, a Nikola Jokic-led Serbia and South Sudan, who will be making their first-ever appearance at the Games.

The 2024 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament will commence on July 27 in Lille, France, concluding with the Final and Third-Place Game at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 10.

This press release contains information from an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) article.